Topic #4
2
Networking and
Presenting
Yourself
Professionally
network / nétwerk n. & v. a group of people who exchange information, contacts, and
experience for professional or social purposes. The Oxford Dictionary
February 2012
Why Is Everyone Always Talking About Networking?
Maybe you’re a natural. Networking comes easy to you as you meet new people, share ideas, and collaborate with
others. Or maybe the thought of networking makes you want to hide under your desk until the time passes. Whatever your
preference networking is a very important step in navigating the job market and developing your professional skills. According to
quintcareers.com, only 20% of open job positions are actually posted publically. The saying “It’s all about who you know” could
not be more true. But networking doesn’t have to always be about the job. Sometimes just finding a group of individuals with a
shared interest is great for enhancing our personal lives too. As we continue the journey of advancing women knowing when and
how to network and present yourself professionally is essential.
omen in the Workplace
W
Tips to improve in-person networking
*Excerpt from the Rochester Women’s Network. Written by Tina Smagala, leadership development
consultant and regional director for RV Rhodes LLC
While social networking is hot, networking with people at meetings, conferences and
events will never go out of style. Thirteen years ago, I created a workshop, People Power, to
teach sales and business professionals how to work a room and make profitable connections.
Here are some tools that are still useful today:
UPCOMING EVENTS
Keys to Success
Tips for Networking and Presenting
Yourself Professionally
February 23, 2012; 12:00- 1:00 PM
Campus Center, CE 308
Presenter: Jill Vanderwall
Education as Empowerment
Celebrating Women’s History Month
March 19, 2012; 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Campus Center, CE 305
Cultural Leadership Luncheon with
Dr. Sandra Petronio, Professor of
Communication Studies and
IUPUI’s first lady
*Please RSVP in advance to [email protected]
Advancing Women Mentoring Program
End-Of-The-Year Social
April 19, 2012; 4:30-6:00 PM

Arrive: Rehearse your self-introduction. Don't sit down because it gives the impression that
you aren't approachable; keep your business cards in your pocket; and wear your name tag
just below your right shoulder.

Approach: Move toward people who are standing alone, talking to someone you know, or
who are in the refreshments line.

Assert: Greet people with a smile and a firm handshake, and deliver your self-introduction
with enthusiasm. In 25 words or less, your self-introduction should answer three questions:
who are you, what do you do and how do you help? How you help is why people do
business with you and it is where you add your "wow" factor that makes you
distinguishable. Tailor your introduction to the audience by using relevant terminology.

Attend: Ask open-ended questions to engage the person in conversation such as, "What do
you enjoy most about your work?" The more you learn about others, the more likely you
can help them or someone they know.

Appreciate: End the conversation on a positive note by shaking hands, exchanging business
cards and expressing your appreciation such as, "I appreciate your interest and I'll follow-up
with an email to schedule a time for us to meet and discuss your situation further."
After the conversation, jot down a few notes about the person on the back of her business card
to help you remember the key points of your profitable connection.
Topic #4
Presenting Yourself Professionally
2
Presenting Yourself Professionally is more than just the clothes you wear to an interview, to your job, or to classes. Maintaining a
professional image also includes representing yourself well through the way you communicate with others. While it may seem
superficial to form impressions based on image, the reality is that many people form perceptions of someone within the first few
moments of interacting with that individual. According to Susan Heathfield, “your communication and the image you present
create the first impression – often the lasting impression – on the people you meet”. For example, how you complete a job
application or the appearance of your resume can speak volumes. To ensure you are presenting yourself professionally, Heathfield
makes the following suggestions:
- E-mail - Proper e-mail etiquette is important. Don’t make the mistake of assuming an informal email is appropriate
especially if you are communicating with co-workers or professionals.
- Interpersonal Communication - Speaking with friends can be a more casual conversation but when speaking in the
workplace, make sure your words and conversations are appropriate for the environment. Avoid using foul language
within these environments.
- Network – Remember that when you are networking, the people you are building connections with are developing an
image of who you are. How and if they are able to recommend you for a position or opportunity may be dependent on the
professional image you have built with them.
*Source: Heathfield, S. M. (2012). Your image is you: Communication and appearance in networking. About.com Retrieved from
http://humanresources.about.com/cs/communication/a/profimage.htm
Networking and Presenting Yourself Professionally Discussion Points
We hope you have had a SUPER January and a great start to February. Thank you to all who attended the Communication
workshop in January. Dr. Kristina Sheeler from the Department of Communication Studies presented on Communication
Challenges for Women. Dr. Sheeler gave us six important areas to be thinking about in terms of how we communicate as women. It
was a time of learning for both our mentors and mentees. We hope you will join us at future monthly programs for the AWMP!
As you are continuing your meetings with your mentees this semester, our hope is that you are beginning to see progress in your
mentoring relationships. The questions this month focus on catching up, networking, and presenting yourself professionally. Like
many of our previous topics, our mentee’s experiences are likely to be very diverse in this area, but the goal of these questions is to
help you get started on the topic. As always, feel free to adapt these questions or simply use them as a reference in your
conversations.
Discussion points:
 Follow up/check in
o Check in with each other—what has happened since you last met?
o How was your Super Bowl week? Did you have any time off to check out Indianapolis or work on your work/life balance?
o Where are you with your goals? Have you made any progress/had any setbacks? If you made any, how are you doing with
your resolutions?
o How are you doing with the new semester? Feeling like you’re getting into the swing of things? What is one
project/paper/or assignment that you are actually looking forward to doing?

Networking and Presenting Yourself Professionally Discussion Questions
o When you think about networking, what are your initial reactions to it?
o Do you think you are a natural “networker” or is networking more difficult for you?
o Describe your style of networking. How do you handle networking situations?
o What issues do you think are unique for women in the area of presenting themselves professionally? What is challenging to
you as you think about presenting yourself professionally? Examples: how you dress, talk, your resume, etc.
o Who do you view in your life as someone who has this whole networking and professionalism thing down? What qualities
or practices can you glean from this person as you work on this area?
According to NACE’s 2009 Student Survey:
Fast Facts
 38.1 percent of students who had a job offer cited networking as being
extremely useful, beating out the company web site in general and other
job posting sites.
 70 percent of all respondents said networking was helpful.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
 70 percent of jobs are found through networking.